The biggest single impact came from the bank’s ‘One Day’ salary giving initiative which raised over £630,000 for Cure Leukaemia. This will fund a pioneering Therapy Acceleration Laboratory at the University of Oxford which will drive the development of new personalised blood cancer therapies. Over 120 volunteers, beneficiaries and an array of celebrity guests from both charities, including England Football Manager Gareth Southgate visited Deutsche Bank’s offices in Birmingham and London to encourage staff to donate on One Day which will take place again in September 2019.

The winning 'She Hacks' team from the global Hackathon

Whilst fundraising is a crucial element to the partnership, Deutsche Bank has also made a direct positive impact for Cure Leukaemia through the volunteering of its highly skilled employees. This was highlighted during a 24hr global Hackathon which engaged over 800 Deutsche Bank staff from Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Russia, Romania, Germany, UK and the United States in the summer. These technology teams volunteered for 24 hours straight to develop prototype mobile apps to benefit blood cancer patients worldwide. Cure Leukaemia will continue working on plans to make this app a reality throughout 2019. This highlights how Deutsche Bank’s Charities of the Year programme also helps unlock further value for the charities it supports.

The London to Frankfurt team when they reached their destination in Germany

Staff with personal connections to blood cancer across the bank took part in events throughout the year including Managing Director for Infrastructure Change, David Keen who led a team of 20 cyclists on an 800-mile ride from London to the bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt. David’s granddaughter was diagnosed with leukaemia in late 2017 and she inspired the team to raise over £75,000, enough to fund a specialist research nurse for two years.

Plans are already in place for 2019 to maximise the partnership as it enters its second year. Many staff are already registered for further bike rides, treks, running challenges and quizzes. Cure Leukaemia will also announce major growth plans later in the year detailing the organisation’s plans from 2020 and beyond thanks to Deutsche Bank’s positive impact.

Cure Leukaemia’s Chief Executive James McLaughlin said:

“We had always hoped that being a national charity partner of a business the magnitude of Deutsche Bank would be transformational and with a record £1.2m raised in 12 months, we will be able to fund more research nurses and, in turn, provide even more patients with access to pioneering new treatments.

“On behalf of the patients, clinicians and everyone associated with Cure Leukaemia I would like to thank every single member of staff who volunteered, trekked, cycled, ran, baked, quizzed or hacked!”

“It is fantastic to see how Deutsche Bank’s employees across the world have made a significant positive impact on Cure Leukaemia last year both in raising a record amount of funds and through the hugely successful global Hackathon.

I am sure our partnership will continue to prove transformational in 2019 and I look forward to hearing Cure Leukaemia’s plans for growth as a result of this support. Ultimately, it is blood cancer patients across the UK that are benefitting; and all our employees should be proud that their efforts have directly helped people battling this disease.”